Havoc - Piper McLean

18: Festus the not-so-happy dragon

| festus the not-so-happy dragon |

—Camilla kept looking back. She half expected to see those nasty sun dragons toting a flying chariot with a screaming magical saleswoman throwing potions, but nothing followed them.

Leo steered the dragon toward the southwest. Eventually, the smoke from the burning department store faded in the distance, but Camilla didn't relax until the suburbs of Chicago gave way to snowy fields, and the sun began to set.

"Good job, Festus." Leo patted the dragon's metal hide. "You did awesome."

The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.

"I'll give you a tune-up next time we land," Leo promised. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."

"Are you..." Camilla poked him in the back, "Are you talking to him again?"

"It's weird, right? I can understand him somehow"

Festus whirled his teeth, but even that sounded weak. He flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws plus four people on his back.

"Hey, Romani." Piper patted Camilla's shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah... not bad for a brainwashed zombie." She hoped she didn't look as embarrassed as she felt. "Thanks for saving us back there, principessa"

"Please, never call me a princess again" Piper groaned as she leaned her forehead against the curve of Camilla's spine. 

"Preziosa, then" Camilla smiled, even though Piper couldn't see her. "If you hadn't talked me out of that spell—"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said.

But Camilla worried a lot. She felt terrible about how easily Medea had set him against her best friends. And those feelings hadn't come from nowhere. 

What bothered her more was the news about Leo's mom. Medea had seen the future down in the Underworld. That was how her patron, the woman in the black earthen robes, had been the reason behind her friend's death. Then again, this earth lady was also the one that helped Camilla. Her mind reeled trying to make sense of it all.

When they had left Medea in that exploding store, Camilla had felt a little too good. She hoped Medea wouldn't make it out, and would go right back to the Fields of Punishment, where she belonged. 

"We're going to have to put down soon," Leo said. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is— where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guessed. Camilla's memories of the department store were fuzzy, but she seemed to remember hearing that. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Piper didn't respond for so long, Leo wondered if he'd said something wrong.

"Piper's dad," Jason put in. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. Her fingers tightened on Camilla's waist. "Look, Medea said you would die in the Bay Area. And besides... even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."